In the Presence of Fear

Fear is not just a human emotion, dogs suffer from it too.  Sadly it's all to often that we as humans get caught up in our daily lives and simply don't see the signs until something happens catch our attention.  Then we wonder, where did that come from, "Fluffy has never done that before..."
There are three classifications: Anxiety, Fear and Phobias.  Dog Trainer and Author Nicole Wilde defines these perfectly in her book Help for the Fearful Dog (A must read for anyone with a dog with fear issues).
Anxiety is the feeling of apprehension, an anticipation of future danger in other words, a concern that something bad might happen.
Fear is a feeling of apprehension as well, but the emotion is associated with the actual presence of something or someone that frightens the dog.
Phobias are profound fear reactions that are out of proportion to the actual threat.
Our dogs are not able to say "hey I don't want to be touched by someone, it really bothers me because..."  The only way we have of knowing that something frightens Fluffy is to read his body language.  It's important for every dog owner to know how to read their dogs body postures to know what is going on with them.  You need to know your dogs normal posture to be able to read when something is different.

When you look at this picture you can easily see this little guy is afraid of something. Notice how his whole body pressing downward. Also his ears are folded back against his head.

When you look at a dogs eyes and they are open so wide that you can easily see the white of the eye, we call this Whale Eyes.  This is a classic sign of fear in dogs.


You may also notice your dog panting (even when they are not hot and have not been running or playing hard).  You might also see them sticking just the tip of their tongue out as well.

The above picture illustrates the most common fear related body postures.
Spend some time watching your dog when he is relaxed at home and comfortable notice the position of his ears and tail.  Then next time you are out and about with your dog, pay attention to his body and see how he is reacting to his environment.
Remember it's our job to be an activist for our dogs health, both mental and physical.  If you notice that something is causing your dog fear contact a trainer in your area to help him overcome his fear in a healthy way, before it becomes an issue.
To find a trainer in your area that uses positive training methods, use the trainer search at www.apdt.com  If you are interested in reading Nicole's bookHelp for the Fearful Dog, you can find it at her websitehttp://phantompub.com/